Evidence

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɛvɪdÉ™ns/,

Origin

From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin evidentia ("clearness, in Late Latin a proof"), from evidens ("clear, evident"); see evident.

Full definition of evidence

Noun

1. Facts or observations presented in support of an assertion.
• 1898, Winston Churchill, The Celebrity Chapter 1, In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, …, and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.
• 2012-03, w, Pixels or Perish, Drawings and pictures are more than mere ornaments in scientific discourse. Blackboard sketches, geological maps, diagrams of molecular structure, astronomical photographs, MRI images, the many varieties of statistical charts and graphs: These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story.
2. There is no evidence that anyone was here earlier.
3. (legal) Anything admitted by a court to prove or disprove alleged matters of fact in a trial.
• 2004, April 15, Morning swoop in hunt for Jodi's killer, For Lothian and Borders Police, the early-morning raid had come at the end one of biggest investigations carried out by the force, which had originally presented a dossier of evidence on the murder of Jodi Jones to the Edinburgh procurator-fiscal, William Gallagher, on 25 November last year.
4. One who bears witness.
• Sir Walter Scottinfamous and perjured evidences

Derived terms

Derived terms

• after-discovered evidence
• clear and convincing evidence
• demurrer to evidence
• preponderance of evidence, preponderance of the evidence
• self-evidence

Related terms

• evident
• evidential

Verb

1. (transitive) To provide evidence for, or suggest the truth of.She was furious, as evidenced by her slamming the door.